Designers play a very real role in influencing construction worker safety. It is the design that dictates how a project will appear and how a particular project or its components will be assembled. The methods of assembly are often not recognized as being dictated by the designers. In reality, designers influence many decisions about how construction
tasks are undertaken. Unfortunately, designers have not been cognizant of their influence and, as a profession, they have not acknowledged the importance or relevance of their role in safety. Some designers have stated that, in order to minimize their liability exposure, they deliberately avoid addressing construction safety.